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Devices and health apps that advise people to walk 10,000 steps a day could be doing more harm than good, scientists have warned.

Around three million fitness trackers are sold in Britain each year, with the promise of monitoring and improving activity levels.

However, Dr Greg Hager, an expert in computer science at Johns Hopkins University, said many apps and devices had no real evidence base and that a one-size-fits-all approach could be harmful for some people.

Fitness trackers have become a common sight

Dr Hager told delegates at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston that the 10,000 steps doctrine was based on just one study of Japanese men dating back to 1960.

In 2013, the NHS established a Health Apps Library to provide patients with a choice of health and treatment software and GPs were encouraged to recommend apps to their patients.

Yet the University of Liverpool found that just 15 per cent of those listed for depression were proven to be effective.

Dr Steve Flatt, of the university’s psychological therapies unit, who co-authored the study published in the BMJ, said: “This field is currently in its infancy and can currently be likened to the snake oil salesmen of the 1860s.

Fitness trackers often sync up with apps on phones Credit:
Heathcliff O'Malley

“There is every likelihood that apps will actually be very useful in managing all sorts of ailments, physical and psychological, but unfortunately the designing and testing stages seem to have been largely missed out in the race for profits.”

Simon Leigh, a health economist who co-authored the BMJ paper, said: “A GP, endocrinologist or other fitness specialist would unlikely recommend 10,000 steps for most people.”